A Certain Mysterious Eclipse
by Talarc
Summary: Misaka Mikoto is the third strongest Level 5 esper in Academy City. Which is why she hates it when she finds someone she can't beat. Now as well as that idiot, there's also a strange boy, a newcomer to Academy City, who defeats her in battle. Who is this mysterious boy and what are his goals?
1. Just Another Day in Academy City

**Chapter 1: Just Another Day in Academy City**

Thick dark clouds filled the sky above Academy City in western Tokyo as the day began. The countless wind turbines across the city spun a little faster as a more powerful wind rushed through. Fat raindrops started to fall as the city's population, 80% of whom were students at the many schools within the city's borders, began appearing from their homes or dorms to begin the day.

At a slightly run-down looking dorm building, a teenaged boy with spikey black hair and wearing a white shirt over an orange T-shirt as well as black trousers and white trainers with a red trim made his way quickly down the stairs from his dorm. Normally he would have taken the elevator, but it appeared that it had been out of order since the previous afternoon. As he got to the bottom and felt the first raindrops thudding onto his head and shoulders, he let out a sigh.

"Why did Index have to take my only umbrella with her when she went out?" he asked himself. He set off at a gentle run in the direction of the bus stop – at least he could minimize the amount of time he spent out in the rain. He'd been carefully hoarding a small amount of money for emergencies like this. He picked up the pace as the rain started falling harder and turned the corner to the bus stop.

…Only to watch as the doors of the waiting bus slid shut as he approached. He held a hand out in front of him and broke into a sprint as the bus started to pull away. Alas, the bus driver failed to notice him and the bus raced off down the street away from him. Dejected, he slowed to a halt by the bus stop – unfortunately it lacked a bus shelter – and checked the bus times.

"No way!" he exclaimed. There wasn't another bus until an hour after he was supposed to be in school. Just as he contemplated what to do, a car sped past through a puddle he hadn't noticed. A spray of water was sent flying into the air, soaking him from head to toe.

Recovering from the shock, Kamijou Touma let out a frustrated shout as he started running in the direction of school.

"Such misfortune!"

* * *

"Aww! It's raining pretty heavily now!" A fourteen year old girl with chestnut brown hair and a small hairclip featuring two small flowers as well as brown eyes placed her hand on the cold glass of the window in her dorm room as she gazed out at the pouring rain. She was wearing a school uniform which consisted of a light brown vest sweater over a white blouse and a grey skirt. She also wore a pair of baggy socks which reached almost halfway up her lower legs. "It's going to be a pain getting to school in this." Misaka Mikoto turned to look back at her roommate as she spoke. "Don't you think, Kuroko?"

Shirai Kuroko wore the same uniform as Mikoto. Her tawny hair was tied up in two curly pigtails, held in place by a red bow each. Like Mikoto, she had brown eyes. She leapt up from her bed and joined Mikoto at the window.

"It certainly will be, _Onee-sama_ ," she replied to Mikoto's earlier question. She paused for a second before clearing her throat. "As your companion and roommate, I can't possibly allow you to catch a cold by going out in such weather. Allow me to take us straight to school using my power." Kuroko had the power to teleport herself and others.

"That would be pretty handy actually," Mikoto sighed, continuing to look out of the window.

"Wouldn't it?" Kuroko laughed. _And it'll be an excellent chance to get closer, physically, to Onee-sama_ , she added in her mind.

"Ah! But you probably shouldn't use your power in the dorm – the dorm supervisor might actually kill us if we did that again," Mikoto said thoughtfully. "Oh well! We'll take our umbrellas and walk – sometimes it's nice to be out when it's raining."

Kuroko let out a disappointed sigh. _But wait!_ An idea crossed her mind. _If I can find a way to 'lose' my umbrella, then I can share with Onee-sama!_

"Shall we get going then?" Mikoto asked, digging out her umbrella and heading for the door.

"Of course!" Kuroko sang, heading over to join her. "You must make sure that you don't use your power while you're out today, _Onee-sama_ ," she added as they left the room. "Remember that everything will conduct electricity when it's wet."

"I will." Mikoto let out a sigh.

* * *

Elsewhere in the city, a skinny teenager with pale skin, untidy mop-like white hair and red eyes was walking along one of the streets. He wore a white shirt with dark grey V patterns on it, as well as dark grey trousers and a choker-style electrode around his neck. He walked with the support of a single crutch. There was a bored, disinterested look on his face. He showed no reaction to the rain pouring down around him. He also seemed not to notice that he was being called from behind.

"Wait for me! Misaka cries as Misaka gives chase!" A young girl, probably around the age of 10 based on her size, called out to him. She was wearing a blue dress with white spots as well as a white coat and sandals. She bore an uncanny resemblance to Misaka Mikoto. A strand of her chestnut hair stuck up above the rest. Realising that she wasn't getting through to the white-haired teenager, she ran ahead of him and started waving her arms wildly to catch his attention.

"Tch." The boy reacted with annoyance to her actions. "What do you want now?"

"Why did you block out sound as well as the rain? Misaka demands angrily!" the girl asked. "Accelerator should be more appreciative that Misaka offered to help with the shopping!"

Accelerator clicked his tongue in frustration again. He hadn't asked the girl known as Last Order to accompany him.

"You were the one who came out without permission. You were supposed to stay behind."

"Misaka only wants to be helpful! Misaka huffs as Accelerator fails to appreciate her!" Last Order puffed her cheeks out in annoyance.

"Whatever." Accelerator continued walking, though he didn't return to using his vector-controlling power to block out Last Order's protests as they continued walking towards the convenience store.

* * *

In a distant alley in another part of the city, a young man with his hair shaved off and wearing a black leather jacket jumped to one side as a jet of water struck the ground next to him.

"I don't understand!" he called to the teenaged boy opposite him. "Why are you attacking me?"

The boy, wearing a dark green hoodie over a burgundy T-shirt, dark blue jeans and a pair of golden yellow trainers, didn't reply. Another ball of water appeared in the palm of his hand. He held out his hand and a jet of water blasted out towards the skinhead.

"Not going to answer me, huh?" The skinhead broke into a grin as he dodged again. "In that case, I'll just beat it out of you!" A fireball appeared in his hand. "Take this!" he shouted as he fired a ball of fire towards the boy.

However, the boy jumped to the side. He fired a series of water blasts from both hands back towards his opponent, who dodged the first couple of blasts before evaporating the remainder instantly with a powerful flame that burst from his clenched fist.

"Seriously, what's your problem?" the skinhead murmured, more to himself than to the boy. "Guess it's time I got serious – this here's my best attack!" He placed his hand on the ground. It suddenly started to heat up and the paving slabs started to turn a deep red colour from the heat. Raindrops hissed as they struck the ground and evaporated instantly.

"Hwaaah!" With a loud grunt, the skinhead swept his arm up, sending a wave of burning and melted paving slabs towards the boy.

Just as it apparently engulfed him, however, the wave stopped and turned dark as the heat drained out of it. There was an explosion of water and scorched concrete. The boy remained standing, completely unharmed.

"No way!" the skinhead exclaimed.

The boy raised his arm again. The skinhead suddenly saw the raindrops around him gather together into blades of water, each no longer than the blade of a knife. The boy clenched his fingers and thumb together and the blades rushed in, spearing the skinhead's arms and legs.

"Arrghh!" the man cried in pain. The water blades dissolved instantly and flowed through the air towards the boy, who now stood with both hands cupped almost touching each other. The water gathered in the space between his two palms and swirled around in a ball.

The boy spoke for the first time.

"This is the end." He spoke with little emotion, as if the events occurring were happening on the screen at a cinema or in the pages of a book instead of being perpetrated by him. A single, massive jet of water erupted from his hands.

"No!" the skinhead cried. A split second later, the jet struck him in the chest and sent him flying back. He crashed into one of the alley walls and collapsed to the ground. The boy lifted his attack and walked towards him as he struggled to try and pull himself back to his feet. Instead of launching another attack, the boy simply paused for a second as he walked past.

"This is just the beginning," he said without looking at the skinhead. "I hope there are other espers in this city who put up more of a fight than you."

He walked out of the alley and disappeared into the bustling street beyond.


	2. The Boy with Two Abilities

**Chapter 2: The Boy with Two Abilities**

"Hmmm." A small girl with short black hair, golden-brown eyes and a headband made out of artificial flowers gave her computer screen a troubled look.

"What is it, Uiharu?" Kuroko asked, walking over and peering over her shoulder.

"Shirai- _san_? It seems like the computer froze up again," Uiharu Kazari replied. "I'll reboot it."

The two of them were in the 177th Branch Office of Judgement, a student organisation charged with helping to maintain order on the streets of Academy City. They were currently the only members present in the small office.

"We've been having problems with that computer more and more recently, haven't we?" Kuroko sighed. "Maybe we should get it looked at."

"I'm sure it's fine," Kazari replied as she leant down to restart the computer. It sprung back to life relatively quickly.

"Let me know if it happens again," said Kuroko, shaking her head as she returned to her seat. The two of them lapsed into silence as they returned to work. The only sounds were the whirring of the air conditioning and the tapping of computer keys.

"Ah! Shirai- _san_!" Kazari suddenly cried. "I just got a new message! Have a look!"

"What is it?" Kuroko stood up and walked back over to Kazari.

"Apparently there's been an increase in random attacks recently," Kazari replied. "The victims say that the culprit was an esper with the ability to manipulate water. One of them managed to get a picture of him." She opened the attached file, which contained a blurry picture taken on a mobile phone of a boy wearing a dark green hoodie, dark blue jeans and yellow trainers. It was taken from a fair distance away and he had his hood up, so his facial features weren't clear.

"I'll head out on patrol and keep an eye out for him," said Kuroko, taking a step back from Kazari's desk. "Let Konori- _san_ know where I've gone when she gets back! And keep me posted if you get any new information!"

"Ehh?! You're going out to look for him?!" Kazari cried in alarm. "According to the reports, he's really powerful!"

"All the more reason why we can't let him roam free," Kuroko replied.

She disappeared in the blink of an eye, teleporting from the room.

* * *

Outside, it was a beautiful day in Academy City. There was almost no sign of yesterday's rain and the temperature had gone up significantly. The parks and streets were teeming with students recently released from their classes, some relaxing, others shopping. Most were hanging out in pairs or groups. Nothing felt particularly out of the ordinary.

Mikoto was walking along on the streets at a relaxed pace. She was heading back to the dorm, having stopped off at the convenience store on the way to read manga, just like she always did on Wednesdays.

"What am I going to do this evening?" she wondered aloud as she walked. She didn't have anything planned. Kuroko was busy with her Judgement work, so she wasn't going to be around. She'd already done most of her homework as well. She almost hoped _he_ would show up to give her something to do.

Her thoughts were interrupted by her phone going off. She quickly whipped the phone out and answered it.

"Hello?"

" _Onee-sama_!" Kuroko's voice erupted loudly from the phone. Mikoto immediately held it slightly further from her ear.

"Kuroko? What do you want? I thought you were busy with your Judgement work."

"Well, about that," Kuroko began. "I thought I'd let you know that there's a powerful esper in the city going attacking other espers. A number have already been hospitalised."

"A powerful esper?!" Mikoto cried in alarm. "Is it one of the other Level 5s?"

"It doesn't look like it," Kuroko replied. "Apparently his ability is hydrokinesis, which doesn't match the powers of any of the Level 5s."

"I could take him down with no problems then!" Mikoto said cheerfully. "Any idea where he is?"

There was a sigh at the other end of the line.

"The reason I was calling, _Onee-sama_ , was to warn you not to get involved," Kuroko said. "Leave this to us at Judgement. And make sure you're careful out there – we don't have any idea where he is."

"Alright, alright!" Mikoto sighed in disappointment. "I won't search for him and try not to get involved. But if I do run into him, then it'll be a matter of self-defence, got it?"

"In that case, stay safe, _Onee-sama_ ," Kuroko replied, guessing that this was the most she could get Mikoto to agree to. "I'll see you when I get back this evening!"

"Got it! Bye, Kuroko!" Mikoto replied before ending the call.

She continued walking in the direction of the dorm.

Why would anyone go around randomly attacking other espers? There were many explanations, of course. It could be part of a training regime, or some kind of experiment like the Level 6 Shift Project.

Maybe someone higher up in Academy City was having one esper test the abilities of the others. While the rough nature of the attacks might make that seem unlikely, Mikoto knew that there were those in positions of authority in the city who wouldn't bat an eyelid if people were badly hurt during one of their tests.

The thought made her blood boil.

As she continued walking, she suddenly heard a distant scream coming from down an alley to her right.

Mikoto clenched her fists and ran towards the alleyway in pursuit of the sound.

* * *

"Ahh!" a young girl cried as she was thrown back against the wall of the alleyway. In front of her, a teenaged boy wearing a dark green hoodie over a burgundy T-shirt as well as dark blue jeans and golden yellow trainers turned to look at her, his eyes partially hidden by his hood.

"Weak."

He uttered a single word.

"Please don't hurt me!" the girl cried. "If you want money, just take it!"

Ignoring her, the boy gathered a ball of water in his palm. He extended his arm to point it at her.

"H-help!" the girl screamed, desperately looking around.

"What's going on?"

Mikoto rushed into the alleyway. She tensed up in anger at the scene in front of her.

"T-thank God!" the girl cried in relief. "This guy suddenly attacked me for no reason!"

"Is that so?" Mikoto shot a scowl at the boy in front of her, who'd turned to face her. A jolt of electricity sparked from her body and struck the ground just in front of the boy's feet.

He looked down at the small scorch mark on the paving slab as if curious about the attack, though he showed no sign of intimidation.

"Are you the one who's been going round and attacking other espers?" Mikoto demanded as the girl pulled herself to her feet and hurried behind her.

"So there have been stories about me?" the boy asked. This had clearly piqued his interest.

"Why are you doing this?" Mikoto gritted her teeth.

"What if I told you that I'm bored and was looking for a way to entertain myself?" the boy asked.

"Then I'll teach that it's no fun picking on people weaker than yourself!" Mikoto replied angrily, adopting a stance and preparing to fight.

"Don't misunderstand me," the boy said idly. "I know that it's boring fighting someone who's nothing compared to you. But how else am I supposed to find the ones worth fighting?"

"That doesn't give you a reason to beat people up!" Mikoto snapped.

"Ah. Well, that's something else entirely." The boy shrugged. "Anyway, since you seem pretty fired up, why don't you entertain me for a bit?"

"Are you sure you want to do that?" Mikoto asked with a grin. "Don't you know that I'm one of the seven Level 5 espers in this city?"

"I thought I recognised you!" the girl hiding behind her cried. "You're the Railgun, Misaka Mikoto, aren't you?"

"That's right!" Mikoto nodded.

"T-that's amazing!" The girl looked at her admiringly. "The stories I've heard about you were all true!"

"I-I doubt they were all true!" Mikoto blushed in embarrassment. "Anyway, you get out of here – I'll handle this guy!"

"Right!" The girl scrambled to her feet. "I'll go and get Judgement!" she called over her shoulder as she ran back towards the main street.

"So do you get it?" Mikoto turned back to the boy. "You should think twice about fighting me."

The boy gave her a blank look.

"Never heard of you," he said.

"H-huuuh?" Mikoto stared at him in disbelief for a second. She wasn't normally that bothered by whether or not people knew who she was, but something about the boy's dismissive tone really ticked her off. "I guess I'll just have to show you then!"

Electricity crackled around her, as if reacting to her anger. A bolt suddenly leapt out towards the boy, who moved quickly to the side to avoid it.

"Not bad," he said. "But that won't be enough to beat me."

"How about this then!" Mikoto fired another bolt of electricity towards her opponent.

This time, he dodged to the right and responded by firing a blast of water from the palm of his right hand.

Mikoto quickly fired another bolt of electricity, which struck the water and caused it to spray outwards instead of staying focused. The boy quickly responded by firing a continuous jet of water from his hand.

"You're pretty powerful!" Mikoto called as she fired anther bolt of electricity. "But someone who uses hydrokinesis is always going to at a disadvantage against an electromaster like me!"

The electricity struck the water and the current travelled back along the stream. There was an explosion of steam and water drops. The boy, however, was nowhere to be seen.

"Huh?" Mikoto stared in shock at the spot where he'd been standing.

"Ha… haha… ahahahahahahahaha!"

Mikoto spun round upon hearing the sound of laughter behind her. The boy was stood on one of the platforms of the emergency escape on the wall of a nearby building. There was a grin on his face.

"To think I'd run into someone tough enough for me to go all out against!"

"What just happened?" Mikoto cried. "How did you move so quickly?"

The boy ignored her and fired a volley of water blasts down towards her.

"Answer my question!" Mikoto shouted, blasting the water with electricity.

The boy disappeared into thin air and reappeared on the ground below.

"T-teleportation?" Mikoto gasped. "But your ability is hydrokinesis!"

"Surprising, isn't it?" The boy grinned at her. "I can use both hydrokinesis and teleportation!"

"How?" Mikoto demanded. "It's impossible for an esper to have two different abilities!"

"Enough talking!"

The boy formed another ball of water in the palm of his hand. As he prepared to shoot another blast of water, Mikoto responded with a bolt of electricity.

The boy teleported again and reappeared in front of her.

"Oooff!" Mikoto cried out as she was struck at close range by a powerful jet of water and blasted back.

"Aw! Are you finished already?" the boy sighed as she landed with a crash. "Just when I thought I'd found someone on my level."

"W-who are you?" Mikoto coughed as she pulled herself back to her feet.

"Hmmm?" The boy gave her a curious look. "I don't have a name. If it makes it easier for you, then you can call me 'Eclipse'!"

"Eclipse?" Mikoto got herself back into a battle stance. "I won't let you continue attacking others!" She fired another blast of electricity towards him.

Eclipse jumped to the side and responded with a couple of blasts of water. Mikoto hit them with another bolt of electricity, which continued on and brushed past Eclipse's hand.

"Owww!" He flinched as his hand was shocked. He looked back over at Mikoto. "I guess you're pretty powerful after all! If I didn't dodge your attacks, I'd go down easily!"

"Then I'll finish you off with one hit!" Mikoto shouted. She extended her arm forcefully and channelled a more powerful electric current through it. A powerful lightning bolt sprang from her fingers and ploughed through the air towards Eclipse.

He quickly swept his right arm upwards and a wall of water erupted from the ground to block the strike. As the last of the electricity was conducted, he charged forwards, cloaking his right hand in water to create an enlarged fist.

As he drew close, however, he was suddenly struck by a cloud of black particles flying up from the ground with such force that he was thrown back and landed with a crash.

"What was that?" he cried in surprise.

"I can manipulate the iron in the ground using electromagnetism," Mikoto replied, flicking her hair back with her right hand dismissively. "You're not the only one with tricks up your sleeve."

"Is that so?" Eclipse grinned. "This is the most fun I've had in ages!" He pulled himself back to his feet and summoned another ball of water.

At that moment, the buzzing sound of a phone vibrating filled the air. Eclipse pulled it out and glanced at it.

"Tch!" He clicked his tongue in annoyance. Putting his phone away, he turned back to Mikoto. "Unfortunately I have somewhere I need to be, so I'm going to have to skip out on the end of our battle!" he called over. "But I'll remember your name, Misaka Mikoto!"

He teleported and was gone instantly.

"What the hell?" Mikoto muttered, staring at the spot where he'd been standing. She couldn't make any sense of that 'Eclipse' guy. Was he really just attacking espers because he was bored? And what was the deal with him having two abilities?


End file.
